U.S. Universities Top World Ranking
In a new worldwide ranking of universities, U.S. institutions claim all of the top five spots and seven of the top ten. Harvard University is ranked number one, followed by Caltech, MIT, Stanford, and Princeton. U.S. universities also comprise more than half of the top 50 and 72 of the top 200.
The 2010–11 World University Rankings, published by Times Higher Education magazine, use a sophisticated new methodology that constitutes the most detailed, rigorous and comprehensive study of global university performance ever undertaken.
Times Higher Education has been publishing World University Rankings since 2004. This year for the first time, the data and expert analysis are provided by Thomson Reuters, the world's leading research data specialist.
Around the world, individual students and their families use the rankings to help validate their research in pursuit of an international undergraduate or graduate degree. Particularly useful for planning future studies are the rankings in five subject areas—engineering & technology, social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences, and humanities. The subject-area rankings, available online at www.timeshighereducation.co.uk, can help applicants identify the research and teaching strengths in their prospective field of study.
Members of the academic community follow the rankings closely to gauge international recognition of their institution, to identify universities they might consider working with and to keep abreast of who is achieving what in various fields. Research teams find the rankings useful to help them identify new collaborative partners. University managers use them to benchmark their performance and set strategic priorities.
As countries around the world strive to establish world-class universities, governments increasingly use the rankings as a tool in setting national policies. Governments in Europe and elsewhere have used the Times Higher Education World University Rankings to help in assessing international study and work visa applications. For example, when the U.K. government reviews Highly Skilled Migrant Visa applications, association with a highly ranked university can strengthen an application.
| THE 2010–11 RANKINGS COVER FIVE BROAD CATEGORIES, WHICH ARE WEIGHTED AS FOLLOWS: | |
|---|---|
| Teaching and learning environment | 30% |
| Citation impact (research influence) | 32.5% |
| Research volume income, and reputation | 30% |
| International diversity of staff and students | 5% |
| Industry income (measure of knowledge transfer) | 2.5% |
U.S. Strengths
"It is not surprising that the U.S. tops the rankings," Philip Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, told Times Higher Education. "The U.S. understands what a research university is. Its institutions reward academic staff for productivity, and they have the infrastructures to support their academics."
Altbach also noted that despite the financial crisis, American academic salaries remain high by global standards. "This, and the generally cosmopolitan atmosphere at the top universities, helps attract some of the best and brightest from around the world." Altbach also observed that American academics take many journal editorships and have a major influence on what gets published.
He warned, however, that American universities, especially the great public research universities led by the University of California, Berkeley, are facing deep budget cuts. If continued, the budget decreases will damage American competitiveness in the long run, he noted.
The U.K. placed second in the rankings, with 29 universities in the top 200. Canada came in third, followed by Germany and Sweden. Mainland China has six institutions in the top 200, more than any other country in Asia and for the first time, more than Japan. When Hong Kong is included, China has 10 institutions in the top 200. The full list can be viewed at www.timeshighereducation.co.uk.
This Special Advertising section was written by Nancy Henderson, a Washington, D.C.- based freelance writer, in conjunction with the advertising department of The Washington Post and did not involve the news and editorial departments of this newspaper.
